With no late additions or surprises to the injury report, the Buffalo Bills announced the official statuses for their injured players against Washington.
After sitting out practice all week, Kyle Williams, Demetrius Bell, Aaron Williams, Donald Jones and Chris Hairston have all been labeled out for the contest against the Redskins. Chris Kelsay will likely make his return to the lineup, listed as probable with a calf injury.
For Washington, they'll be without two starters. Wide receiver Santana Moss and left tackle Trent Williams will not play this weekend. Fullback Mike Sellers has been declared out, as well. Four players remain a game-time decision for the Redskins. That list includes cornerbacks DeAngelo Hall and Phillip Buchanon, safety OJ Atogwe and linebacker London Fletcher.
The Bills and Redskins kick things off Sunday at the Rogers Centre in Toronto at 4 pm.
It was a scary moment for fans of the Buffalo Bills, and certainly moreso for the man donning the number-23 jersey.
Rookie cornerback Aaron Williams had to be taken off the field on a stretcher during the Bills' game against New England in Week Three.
"It lets you know how important the game is, and how fast it can be taken away from you," said the cornerback on Wednesday. "That let me know you must cherish every moment, every play, every game, every practice, because you never know when it might be your last."
That's really been the last we've seen of Williams up until Wednesday when he was riding on the stationary bike during practice to warm-up for some work with the trainers.
With the newest progress, Williams said after practice he's getting closer, and hopes for a return fairly soon.
"Right now, I'm hoping next week, but in actuality it'll probably be around two weeks," said the rookie. "You never know with your body. Your body may say 'Hey, I need another week to get back to where my strength is.'"
That timetable isn't set in stone, however. There are some things that Williams' has to have happen before he gets back out on the practice field.
"There's still some aspects of what I need to do before I start practicing. Getting my strength back, especially my conditioning," he said. "There's still some stuff that's pretty painful, but you've gotta work the pain and soreness out to get where you were before. I just have to keep working at it and go every day 100-percent."
Williams went through a 10-to-15 minute workout with trainers on Wednesday, and said it was pretty painful throughout the session but is going to take it day-by-day.
As the Buffalo Bills prepare for the Washington Redskins this week, they won't have to worry about game-planning for starting running back Tim Hightower.
The Redskins announced Hightower suffered a torn ACL on Sunday against the Carolina Panthers, ending his season. Hightower injured his knee during the third quarter, and needed to be carted off the field.
Ryan Torain and rookie Roy Helu will likely shoulder the load in Hightower's absence.
Washington will also be without wide receiver Santana Moss this weekend. He has a broken hand that will require him to miss five-to-seven weeks according to the team. He had surgery to repair the fracture on Monday.
Former Bills linebacker and current Redskins player London Fletcher pulled a hamstring against the Panthers. According to the team, they have yet to determine whether or not he'll miss any time.
The Bills take on the Redskins Sunday at the Rogers Centre in Toronto.
The Buffalo Bills have signed defensive tackle Jay Ross to the practice squad. To make room, the team released wide receiver Tim Toone.
The Bills issued the following NFL biography on Ross in their press release:
"Ross was released by Green Bay prior to the regular season after joining the Packers’ Practice Squad on October 20, 2010. The 6-3, 302-pound East Carolina product entered the NFL as an undrafted free agent with New Orleans in 2010. Ross totaled 140 tackles with 18.5 stops for a loss and 8.5 stacks in 52 games with 42 starts for the Pirates."
Suffering an ankle injury on Sunday against the New York Giants, Buffalo Bills rookie left tackle Chris Hairston had to leave the game, and was announced to be out anywhere from two-to-four weeks.
While head coach Chan Gailey didn't offer up any further clarification on Monday with Hairston's injury, the rookie confirmed exactly what he was dealing with.
Hairston said it's a high ankle sprain that is derailing a portion of his season.
"It's disappointing, but it's part of the game," the rookie said. "Honestly, you really just have to roll with the punches and do what you can to get better and to help this team out. That's just what I plan on doing."
No injury is a good injury, but if he's going to have one, it's better to be able to deal with it during a bye week.
"The timing of it -- I hate to say it -- was perfect," Hairston said. "A little time to rehab up and be here all day long, be able to get real good care of it. It couldn't come at a better time."
The Buffalo Bills have been hit pretty hard with injuries to the wide receiver group, and one of those players affected offered up some encouraging news on Wednesday.
Second-year wideout Donald Jones told reporters that his high ankle sprain was feeling better, and that he doesn't believe the injury will force him to miss the maximum of his four-to-six week diagnosis.
"Things are moving a lot faster than expected. Trying to get back as fast as possible, but not rush it where I get hurt again," Jones said. "We don't think it will be six weeks at all. We'll see how I feel in the next two weeks."
Out of his walking boot and without a wrap on his ankle, the wideout is doing more and more to rehab the injured ankle.
"Right now, I'm in the pool doing a lot of things in the pool," he said. "I'm about to go in the weight room and do some squatting and things like that, so that's the next step."
Jones said while many of his teammates will be venturing home for the weekend off, he'll remain in Buffalo rehabbing his injury. It was his first starting opportunity of his young NFL career, and Jones admitted it did hurt not being able to contribute.
"To stand and watch your team -- it sucks," he said. "For me, it's definitely hard to have to sit and watch especially when the team loses. Not just my chance, I just want to be out there you know helping the team out. As far as my chance to shine as an NFL receiver, it's tough for me. But I'll bounce back. I have the whole second half and the whole playoff push."
Jones did not offer up any time-frame for a potential return at this point in time.
One day removed from a tragedy within the Buffalo Bills organization, eternal members of the franchise took the time out to issue a statement remembering Kent Hull.
The Bills sent out a press release with all their reactions:
Ralph Wilson, Jr:
I am so very saddened to hear of the passing of Kent Hull. Kent was a terrific player for us, who was often overshadowed by some of the bigger names we had in our Super Bowl years. But Kent was one of the key components of our team and of our high-powered offenses in the 90’s that enjoyed so much success. But he was so much more than just a good player on a good team. He was a great leader on and off the field and respected by everyone who knew him. He was a true gentleman who was as nice as anyone you’d ever want to meet and as tough as any player I’ve ever known. If you were lucky enough to have Kent as a friend, you had a cherished friend for life. This is a sad day for me and all of us in the Bills organization as well as all of our fans. I will miss Kent very much, but will always remember fondly the great man and great player that he was. I want to offer my deepest sympathies to his wife Kay and his entire family in this most difficult time.
Marv Levy
Kent Hull was one of the most memorable players that I coached during my long 47-year career. He was one of the most outstanding young men I’ve ever known. Kent was a fantastic teammate and a great leader. He had outstanding ability and was a wonderful family man. Kent was revered by his teammates, coaches, all of the great Buffalo Bills fans and certainly by me.
Bruce Smith
Kent was an incredible teammate, human being and friend. No matter what you’re status was on the team he treated everyone the same. His humor, personality and integrity were so genuine. It’s certainly a sad day for his family, the Bills family and all of those who loved him.
Steve Tasker
In everybody’s life they need some quality people and very few people have the ability to help make a change in one’s life. Kent Hull was one of those people for a lot of us on the Buffalo Bills. He was a positive influence, a great example and a relentless friend.
Thurman Thomas
When I came into the league, Kent was instantly my guardian. I would talk noise on the field only because I knew that he'd be there every time to defend and protect me. I owe a lot of that stitching in my Hall of Fame jacket to Kent Hull. Our hearts are broken. Myself, my wife Patti and our four children send our love and prayers to his wonderful family. He was my teammate, a brother and a best friend. He will be in my heart forever.
With the loss by the Buffalo Bills, the national rankings of them have gone down. Here's what they're saying around the country:
NFL.com8 (Last Week: 6) "In many ways pro football is different in 2010 than it was 20 years ago, and in many ways it's the same. Interceptions can deep-six any decent team in any era, and the biggest numbers from Sunday's Bills-Giants matchup were the two interceptions for Ryan Fitzpatrick and none for Eli Manning. One led to the winning field goal in a game that was pretty evenly played."
Patriots (2), Jets (15), Dolphins (31)
FOXSports.com 10 (Last Week: 8) "The Bills fought hard on Sunday, but couldn't come up with just one more explosive play against the Giants. There is nothing better than one-play scoring drives like Fred Jackson's 80-yard touchdown run, but they need to be able to sustain drives and get three-and-outs on defense to be consistent week in and week out."
Patriots (3), Jets (14), Dolphins (32)
ESPN.com10 (Last Week: 6) " Defense is a big question mark entering the bye."
Patriots (2), Jets (16), Dolphins (30)
CBSSports.com 11 (Last Week: 9) "There are issues stopping teams for that defense. The Giants moved it when they had to and so have a lot of other teams. That has to stop."
Patriots (2), Jets (20), Dolphins (31)
ProFootballTalk.com13 (Last Week: 4) "If the Bills want to be elite, they need to find a way to beat good teams on the road."
Patriots (3), Jets (19), Dolphins (32)
With the injuries to Roscoe Parrish, Marcus Easley and most recently Donald Jones, the Buffalo Bills decided to use 2010 first round pick C.J. Spiller at wide receiver against the New York Giants on Sunday.
So far, so good for Spiller when lined up at receiver. He roped in five catches on five targets for 39 yards. Head coach Chan Gailey was impressed by the running back's transition to the outside through one game.
"He did a good job. He did a very good job," he said. "I can see that being his role here for the short-term. Maybe not long-term, but for the short-term."
The "short-term" would seem to indicate until the time Jones is ready to return from a high ankle sprain. His original estimated time out last week ranged from him missing anywhere from four to six weeks.
Following a performamce that included 11 solo tackles, an interception, and a number of pressures and passes defended, Buffalo Bills safety George Wilson has been named the AFC Defensive Player of the Week.
Predictably, Wilson credited the play of his teammates for allowing him to get the individual award.
"It's a good honor. I'm very appreciative of it, but my teammates helped me to receive it," he said. "Without Arthur's [Moats] pressure on Mike Vick and hitting him in the back, I may not get that interception."
Wilson, in his first year of starting with the team, gets the honors following the Bills 31-24 win over the Philadelphia Eagles.
"It just goes to show you -- when you win and everybody's on the same page, it's a total team effort -- and these are some of the accolades that you get," Wilson concluded.
Here's where the Bills rank nationally following their 31-24 win over the Philadelphia Eagles.
ProFootballTalk.com4 (Last Week: 10) "Leave it to a guy from Harvard to perfectly execute a dummy play." Patriots (5), Jets (20), Dolphins (32)
ESPN.com6 (Last Week: 9) "The upstart Bills hold victories over the Patriots and "Dream Team" Eagles. Who would have thought?" Patriots (2), Jets (17), Dolphins (30)
FOXSports.com8 (Last Week: 12) "The Bills are for real on both sides of the ball, as they showed in Sunday's 31-24 win over Philly. Defensively, they give up a lot of yards, but are opportunisitc in creating turnovers. Offensively, Ryan Fitzpatrick is the perfect QB to orchestrate Chan Gailey's offense, and RB Fred Jackson and WR Stevie Johnson are augmented by a couple of pretty good TEs." (Writer's Note: What team is Brian Billick exactly talking about at the end there? A couple of pretty good TEs? Baffled.) Patriots (5), Jets (12), Dolphins (32)
CBSSports.com9 (Last Week: 9) "At 4-1, with victories over the Patriots and the Eagles, they are for real. That offense is tough to stop." Patriots (3), Jets (20), Dolphins (31)
Since his impact for the Buffalo Bills defense last season, fans have been clammoring for Arthur Moats to remain at outside linebacker permanently, rather than just on a weekly basis.
While the former won't happen just yet, the latter is a certainty.
Head coach Chan Gailey said the plan for Moats this week is to keep the second-year player as a pass-rusher.
"We've got to put him out there right now," he said. "We gotta leave him out there, especially while Chris [Kelsay] is out."
Moats had a key pressure on Eagles quarterback Michael Vick that led to an interception at a key moment for the Bills' defense. Gailey liked what he saw from Moats.
"He did a nice job. He wasn't perfect, but he hadn't practiced there a lot. So I think as he gets more work there maybe he'll continue to give us a little juice off the edge."
Gailey admitted that since Moats played defensive end in college, that he does in fact look more natural as an outside linebacker than he does on the inside.
Last week, the simulators at Madden saw a victory for the Buffalo Bills -- only to be proven wrong by the Cincinnati Bengals.
This week, the Bills return home to Ralph Wilson Stadium for a contest with the oh-so-desperate 1-3 Philadelphia Eagles. According to the simulation, the Eagles capitalized on that desperation and turned it in to a win.
According to the wrap-up of the game, the Eagles defeat the Bills 34-27. Twice the Bills battled back from a large deficit to bring it within one possession. The Bills trailed after the first quarter 14-0, only to come back and get within three at halftime trailing 17-14. Then Philadelphia comes out and rips off 17 more points in the third quarter to give themselves the lead for good.
Michael Vick had a world-class day, throwing for 370 yards and two touchdowns. LeSean McCoy didn't have as big an impact as some are expecting, rushing for only 50 yards. He did have a touchdown to go along with it, however.
Despite a two-touchdwon performance from Ryan Fitzpatrick, it just wasn't enough for the Bills.
Only a pair of changes for the Eagles' injury report from Wednesday.
Tight end Brent Celek took all reps in Thursday's practice, after being limited the day before due to an illness. Meanwhile defensive end Darryl Tapp downgraded to being a limited participant in the most recent session. He's been nursing a pectoral injury for the past few weeks.
Tapp is the backup to defensive end Trent Cole, who has already been delcared out for Sunday's contest against the Bills.
Defensive end Juqua Parker was also a limited participant on Thursday because of an ankle injury. Cole and Jason Peters did not practice.
As the Buffalo Bills prepare for their next challenge against the Philadelphia Eagles, a few starters for their opponents had to sit out on Wednesday.
As expected, starting defensive end Trent Cole (calf) and starting left tackle Jason Peters (hamstring) missed practice. Tight end Brent Celek was a limited participant due to an illness on Wednesday. Defensive end Juqua Parker also missed some reps due to an ankle injury.
The rest of the Eagles practiced in full.
Peters is not expected to play against his old team. King Dunlap will get the start in his absence. Replacing Cole will likely be Darryl Tapp.
Four weeks in to the season, the Buffalo Bills have a 3-1 record. But most recently, the Bills have a loss saddled to their name. How do they stack up against the rest of the league according to national football websites?
Here's the weekly power rankings roundup:
NFL.com7 (Last Week: 5t) "A letdown was bound to happen. To be frank, losing to the Bengals on the road was not the worst thing in the world. That was the best defense Buffalo has played, and it still took a last-second field goal to fall from the unbeaten ranks. One of the keys to staying successful will be to keep finding ways to incorporate Fred Jackson into the offense, and not lose patience in the ground game. The Bills passed on nine straight first down plays in the second half in Cincinnati." Patriots (5), Jets (14), Dolphins (30)
CBSSports.com9 (Last Week: 3) "You didn't think they were going undefeated, did you? Even at 3-1, they're a surprise." Patriots (3), Jets (19), Dolphins (30)
ESPN.com9 (Last Week: 6) "The young Bills showed a lack of maturity with a letdown against Cincinnati." Patriots (3), Jets (14), Dolphins (31)
ProFootballTalk.com10 (Last Week: 5) "Well, at least they won’t start 4-0 and then fall apart like they did in 2008." Patriots (5), Jets (18), Dolphins (32)
FOXSports.com12 (Last Week: 8) "Ryan Fitzpatrick going without a touchdown pass against the 24th-ranked pass defense, and the Bills being outgained by the Bengals 458 yards to 273, could tell us something about this team. An imposing run through the NFC East in October will give us a better idea if the Bills are contenders or pretenders." Patriots (6), Jets (13), Dolphins (29)
